If you're like me and still have an old 2x DVD burner, you'll love to hear that Pioneer is coming out with a 8X external DVD/CD writer. The DVR-S706 can be connected to an existing computer through a firewire or USB port making the upgrade a cinch. The coolest part is that you can burn a full 4.7gb disc in about 15 minutes! And with Pioneer's advanced precision recording technology, you can be assured optimum recording performance, even if the blank disc is slightly irregular (why do they produce irregular discs anyways?). Additionally, new quiet drive technology reduces operating noise and vibration, making the burning process practically silent. They go on sale in May for about $260... I might wait for the dual layer burners.

Navman announced today the latest addition to its line of GPS products. The Navman GPS 4410 is designed for use with Bluetooth-enabled Pocket PCs. This upgraded version of Navman's popular GPS 4400 leverages the power of their advanced navigation software and the latest in wireless technology. It comes bundled with the latest version of Navman's award-winning navigation software, SmartST V2. Exciting new software capabilities include Microsoft Outlook integration for advanced address-to-contact routing, a time-saving zip code search tool, the ability to pre-select areas to avoid, a handy town to town routing function, complete route summary, enhanced zooming functionality and a 3D map display option. Other standard features include address-to-address routing, selectable map views, automatic and manual zoom for map detail control, Back-on-Track rerouting when off-course, day and night screen modes and an extensive points-of-interest library. The fully automated software provides voice guidance, in addition to visual driving instructions and, large display icons and easy-to-read maps provide an operator-friendly, touch-screen interface for added safety while driving. The complete solution contains detailed street-level mapping for the 48 contiguous states, Hawaii, Alaska and Canada. The Navman GPS 4410 and GPS 4100 are competitively priced at $319.95 and $219.95.

Do you ever sit there and wonder why we still have tons of paper in our filing cabinets at home? Invoices, statements, receipts, manuals... the list goes on and on. None of these are easily accessible or searchable, even if you have everything filed under the appropriate subjects. A good friend of mine has been on a mission to give his traditional filing system an extreme makeover. He bought a new scanner and has been scanning all his documents into searchable PDFs. To read up on his adventures in OCR and scanning, check out Reece's Blog.

Well, Sony has done it once again... they have released yet another format for us to adopt. Today, Sony Electronics has started shipping Professional Disc for DATA(TM) media that uses blue lasers instead of standard red lasers to write more data onto a disc. This release is aimed at the professional industry first... featuring a huge 23.3GB storage capacity per single-sided disc, Professional Disc for DATA media provides enough storage for data such as medical imaging, broadcast, audio/video editing, graphic design and enterprise content management. The new format will be available in both write-once and rewritable versions with reading speeds of about 11MB/second and 9MB/second write speeds. The discs retail for $45 each.

I wonder what the results would have been like if my friend had the LoJack system installed in his 1965 refurbished Mustang when it was stolen, found four days later after being taken for a joyride, crashed into a rock, shot at, and then exploded. This happened almost 10 years ago when there was no LoJack systems available. This morning I was reading our local news and saw that the LoJack system helped catch an illegal chop shop in Tacoma, WA. The Lojack system works by you first reporting your car is missing and then the Police systems pick up the silent radio signal emitting from your car. The amazing part is that LoJack says over 90% of cars equipped with LoJack are recovered... they didn't say what shape though. [ via KOMO NEWS]

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CIO.com has a great story on how and why AT&T Wireless is falling apart. Being a former AT&T Wireless customer for over 10 years, a couple months ago I decided to end my contract because of the long wait times, poor customer service, and terrible GSM coverage in my area. If you were or still are an AT&T Wireless customer, you need to read this article. It made feel sorry for AT&T Wireless.

[Direct Link To CIO AT&T Wireless Self-Destructs Story]
[Thanks Peter!]